By Mike Griffiths
Anthony Giangregorio. Blood Rage. Living Dead Press; 1st edition (January 1, 2010). $16.99 USD. ISBN-13: 978-1935458449.
Pay close attention to the title of this book. Anthony Giangregorio makes his intention clear. He pledges to deliver blood and that he does. By the time you are a third of the way through this book, you’ll feel like you’ve been swimming in it yourself. If you are squeamish or dislike crazy freaks dismembering random people and bathing in their blood, then you might want to give this one to someone else. But if you like a lot of action, which revolves around trying to stay alive in a sea of insanity, this book could be for you.
Giangregorio’s apocalyptic vision could be considered an additional take on the zombie plague scenario. Blood Rage is the prequel to what has become Giangregio’s flagship series. Giangregorio is a very prolific writer who heads Living Dead Press, which is responsible for releasing dozens of horror books and anthologies. In Blood Rage, there are few survivors, everyone else wants you dead, and they are tireless in the pursuit of that objective.
Yet, unlike Romero’s zombies, Giangregorio’s villains are sprinting, knife-wielding maniacs that have been swallowed by rage. Shoot them through the heart and they’ll die, but they tend to ignore their wounds and safety in their unending attempts to butcher everyone that hasn’t become crazed.
Chad and Stacy are two people that have escaped the effects of the rage. Both Chad and Stacy realize that the only way to survive is for them to join in the carnage and fight for their lives. Now, bathed in blood themselves, they must stay one step ahead of the hordes.
Neither Chad nor Stacy are particularly heroic, at least not at first. Both of them are average folks, without any special talents or abilities other than having a knack for staying alive. Chad is introduced after an altercation with his ex-wife. Stacy was just taking dictation from her boss, until he tried to tear her head off. They are confused, struggling to understand what is happening.
Later in the book, they join a few survivors to defend a restaurant where they have taken refuge, but they all fear it is only a matter of time before the enraged ones find a way in. And as the crazed control the streets, they wonder if there any safe places left to escape to.
Some similarity could be drawn between Blood Rage and the movie 28 Days Later. However, in this case, the survivors know even less about why the violence could be happening. Also, unlike other more zombie-style books and movies, the “infection” doesn’t seem to be transferable. So, even if the protagonists have no clue to what is going on and they do not know why they were spared from going insane, they appeared to be immune to the illness.
This book keeps your interest and is a page-turner, but unless you enjoy a total gore ride, you might want to cower under the bed instead of grabbing this one. Giangregorio doesn’t pull any punches when describing the viscera showering down on friend and foe alike. The protagonists quickly begin to kill, along with everyone else. Zombie and apocalypse fans will enjoy this one, but you might not want to buy it for your friends, unless they are into Left 4 Dead.
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